'Lilo & Stitch' Live-Action Remake in the Works

A live-action remake of the cult-favorite animated film Lilo & Stitch is in the works at Walt Disney Pictures.

Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich are already working on the project according to The Hollywood Reporter. The production will be a blend of live-action and CG similar to how Disney is approaching its live-action remake of Aladdin.

Mike Van Waes has been hired to pen the remake's script, which is being produced by Lin and Eirich for Rideback, who are also producing the Aladdin remake. Ryan Halprin is co-producing.

The original Lilo & Stitch was written and directed by Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders, who are now known for their work on the How to Train Your Dragon series.

The story of Lilo & Stitch is set in Hawaii and centers on the friendship formed between a lonely young girl being raised by her sister and an alien killing machine who crashes on Earth and passes as a dog. That bond is tested when a social worker threatens to take Lilo away from her sister, and Stitch's antics don't help matters.

Lilo & Stitch didn't find great success at the box office, but was popular enough to spawn several direct-to-video sequels and television series. The original film's voice cast included Daveigh Chase, Tia Carrere, David Ogden Stiers, Kevin McDonald, Ving Rhames, Jason Scott Lee, and Kevin Michael Richardson. It was produced primarily at the Disney's Florida animation studio and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

Lilo & Stitch is the latest in a string of animation to live-action remakes from Walt Disney Studios. These have included Cinderella, The Jungle Book, Beauty and the Beast, and Pete's Dragon. Upcoming films include Dumbo, The Lion King, and Aladdin.

Van Waes is best known as a writer of horror. He penned the script for The Crooked Man, a spinoff of The Conjuring that is currently in development. He also wrote Not in Kansas, which is a horror movie take on The Wizard of Oz currently in development at New Line.

What do you think of Disney remaking Lilo & Stitch in live-action? Let us know in the comments section!

Aladdin opens in theaters on May 24, 2019.